Cardinals Crush Reds, Dodgers Sweep Cubs, ML Roundup

Published on August 5 2013 6:21 am
Last Updated on August 5 2013 6:25 am
Written by Millie Lange

Cards Crush Reds

(Cincinnati, OH) -- Matt Adams smacked a two-run homer as the Cardinals crushed the Reds 15-2 in the rubber match of a weekend series at Great American Ball Park. David Freese and Tony Cruz added solo homers and drove in two runs apiece for the Redbirds, who have won three-of-four since a seven-game skid. Jon Jay had three hits and also had two RBI in the victory. Lance Lynn struck out 11 over eight innings of two-run ball as he improved to 13-5. Zack Cozart clubbed a two-run homer for the Reds, who have lost seven of their last nine. Mike Leake was rocked for seven runs in five frames as he slipped to 10-5.

Dodgers Sweep Cubs

(Chicago, IL) -- A.J. Ellis drove in the lone run of the game in the second inning as the Dodgers blanked the Cubs 1-0 to sweep the four-game series at Wrigley Field. Stephen Fife scattered seven hits over five-and-a-third scoreless innings as he improved to 4-and-3 in his return from the disabled list. Kenley Jansen closed it out for his 17th save. LA is 14-2 since the All-Star break. Hanley Ramirez left the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with an injured right shoulder. Dioner Navarro and Nate Schierholtz had two hits apiece for the Cubs, who have dropped seven-of-eight. Carlos Villanueva permitted just one run and two hits in six frames as he slipped to 2-8 with the tough-luck loss.

Tigers Top White Sox For Eighth Straight Win

(Detroit, MI) -- Torii Hunter singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning as the Tigers topped the White Sox 3-2 to sweep the weekend series at Comerica Park. Alex Avila and Ramon Santiago also plated a run each for the Tigers, who have won eight in-a-row and 12 of their last 13 overall. Bruce Rondon pitched the final two innings for his first career win. Paul Konerko hit a game-tying solo homer in the ninth, while Adam Dunn also went deep for Chicago, which has lost 10 straight. Dylan Axelrod fell to 3-8 with the setback.

Mariners Clip Orioles

(Baltimore, MD) -- Henry Blanco belted a two-run home run in the seventh inning to give the Mariners the lead as they held on for a 3-2 victory over the Orioles in Maryland. Raul Ibanez doubled in a run for Seattle, which took the final two of this three-game series. Joe Saunders evened his mark at 10-10 after giving up two runs in six innings. Danny Farquhar picked up his second save. Wei-Yin Chen gave up all three runs in seven innings for the loss. Danny Valencia hit a two-run homer in the sixth for Baltimore, which has lost five-of-eight overall.

Twins Top Astros

(Minneapolis, MN) -- Oswaldo Arcia lifted a solo home run in the seventh to give the Twins the lead as they held on for the 3-2 win against the Astros in Minneapolis. Justin Morneau belted a two-run shot in the first for Minnesota, which had lost four in-a-row prior to this three-game sweep. Caleb Thielbar earned the win in relief while Glen Perkins locked up his 27th save. Brad Peacock struck out 10 but allowed three runs in seven innings for the loss. Brett Wallace and Chris Carter each knocked in a run for Houston, which has lost four straight.

Blue Jays Beat Angels

(Anaheim, CA) -- The Blue Jays scored twice in the eighth and ninth innings to rally past the Angels 6-5 in Anaheim. Rajai Davis scored three times, knocked in a run and stole three bases for Toronto. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion each drove in two runs for the Jays. Brett Cecil picked up the win and Casey Janssen locked up his 19th save. Mark Trumbo lifted a three-run homer and Mike Trout had a solo shot for Los Angeles, which failed to complete the four-game sweep. Ernesto Frieri suffered the loss.

Rangers Blank Athletics

(Oakland, CA) -- Mitch Moreland belted a two-run home run to help the Rangers defeat the Athletics 4-0 in Oakland. Nelson Cruz added a solo shot for Texas, which has won six-of-seven. The Rangers trail Oakland by two-and-a-half games in the AL West. Derek Holland struck out 10 in eight innings of four-hit ball for his ninth win. A.J. Griffin struck out seven but allowed four runs in 6 2/3 innings for his eighth loss. Oakland has lost four of its last five.

Indians Blank Marlins

(Miami, FL) -- Scott Kazmir and three relievers combined for a four-hit shutout as the Indians blanked the Marlins 2-0 in the rubber game of a weekend series in Miami. Kazmir struck out seven while giving up just two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings as he improved to 7-4. Chris Perez pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save. Lonnie Chisenhall and Michael Brantley both plated a run for the Tribe, which has won 10 of its last 11. Nate Eovaldi allowed just one run over seven frames as he fell to 2-and-2 with the tough-luck loss. The Marlins have dropped two in-a-row after a three-game winning streak.

Red Sox Blank D'backs In Rubber Match

(Boston, MA) -- Felix Doubront fired seven shutout innings as the Red Sox blanked the Diamondbacks 4-0 in the rubber match of a three-game series at Fenway Park. Doubront gave up five hits while striking out five as he improved to 8-5. Jacoby Ellsbury drove in two runs, plus Dustin Pedroia and Shane Victorino plated a run each for the Red Sox, who have won five of their last six. Brandon McCarthy allowed two runs on five hits in 4 1/3 frames in his return from the disabled list. He fell to 2-and-5 with the loss. Arizona has dropped six-of-eight.

Rays Nip Giants

(St. Petersburg, FL) -- Wil Myers lifted a two-run home run in the first inning as the Rays defeated the Giants 4-3 in St. Petersburg. Sam Fuld singled in the winning run in the sixth for Tampa Bay, which has won four-of-six. Evan Longoria also drove in a run for the Rays. Alex Torres picked up his fourth win while Fernando Rodney notched his 27th save. Brandon Crawford plated two while Buster Posey also knocked in a run for San Francisco, which lost the final two of this three-game series. Jose Mijares suffered the loss in relief

Padres Double Yanks

(San Diego, CA) -- The Padres jumped out to a 6-0 lead over the Yankees and held on for a 6-3 win in the rubber match of a three-game set at Petco Park. Everth Cabrera and Mark Kotsay each drove in two as San Diego has gone 6-and-2 in its last eight games. Ian Kennedy won his Padres debut allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings with four walks and six strikeouts. Curtis Granderson was 1-for-1 with an RBI and three walks, while Austin Romine cracked his first career home run. Phil Hughes didn't make it through the third inning giving up five runs and six hits with three walks. New York fell to 57-53.

Royals Down Mets

(Flushing, NY) -- Lorenzo Cain drove in a pair of runs to back six solid innings from Ervin Santana, as the Royals defeated the Mets 6-2 in the rubber match of a three-game series at Citi Field. Santana gave up just one run and five hits as he improved his mark to 8-6. Mike Moustakas homered for KC, which has won 11 of its last 12 games. Eric Young Jr. and John Buck both plated a run for the Mets, who have dropped four-of-five. Zack Wheeler allowed four runs, three earned, in five frames as he fell to 4-2.

Braves Handle Phillies

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Alex Wood tossed six innings of one-run ball to lead the Braves in a 4-1 win over the Phillies from Citizens Bank Park. Wood improved to 2-2 while Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth to lock down his 34th save. Chris Johnson had a two-run single in the first while Jason Heyward and Justin Upton each knocked in a run in the fourth for Atlanta, which ran its winning streak to 10 games. Cliff Lee struck out eight but allowed four runs in five innings to fall to 10-5 for Philadelphia. Michael Young's RBI groundout in the third gave the Phils their lone run. The Phillies have lost five straight and 13 of their last 14 games.

Pirates Pound Rockies

(Pittsburgh, PA) -- A.J. Burnett tossed a complete game to lead to Pirates to a 5-1 win over the Rockies in Pennsylvania. Burnett allowed a run and eight hits while striking out nine as he improved to 5-7. Russell Martin belted a three-run homer for Pittsburgh, which won the final two of this three-game series. Andrew McCutchen was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI for the Bucs. Juan Nicasio gave up four runs in 4 1/3 frames for the loss. Jonathan Herrera was 3-for-3 with the lone RBI for Colorado, which has lost six-of-seven.

Brewers Rally By Nationals

(Milwaukee, WI) -- Jeff Bianchi capped a five-run sixth inning with a two-run infield single to help the Brewers rally past the Nationals 8-5 in Milwaukee. Khris Davis and Logan Schafer each scored twice for Milwaukee, which trailed 4-1 heading into the bottom of the decisive frame. John Axford picked up the win while Jim Henderson closed it out for his 15th save. Milwaukee snapped a three-game slide. Adam LaRoche and Anthony Rendon each hit a solo shot for Washington, which was looking for the three-game sweep. Fernando Abad suffered the loss.

Biogenesis Suspensions Expected Today

Major League Baseball is expected to announce suspensions today for players linked to the Biogenesis scandal. The bans are reportedly going to be revealed at noon Eastern. New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is the biggest name that is expected to be suspended. A-Rod will reportedly receive a ban through the 2014 season, but will also be allowed to appeal. Brewers slugger Ryan Braun already agreed to a 65-game suspension for his link to the scandal.